By Jeremy Cook
Queensland Labor have announced Stanthorpe resident and former aspiring Southern Downs councillor Greg Johnson as its state election candidate just three weeks out from polling day.
Johnson has lived in Stanthorpe for the past 14 years after moving with his wife to be closer to his children and grandkids, according to his online bio. In 2020, he ran as a candidate in the Southern Downs council elections but finished last with 1.58 per cent of the vote.
In a statement, Johnson praised the current government’s recent suite of cost of living measures, like free kindy, free TAFE and the 12-month 20 per cent discount on car registration fees, which he said Southern Downs residents had been benefiting from.
He similarly praised the government’s cheaper energy plan for backing regional jobs and cutting power prices while attacking the LNP for what he labelled a “privatisation agenda which will drive up power prices and cost jobs in the regions”.
Johnson was contacted for further comment but did not respond by deadline.
The Labor candidate is one of the last to announce his candidacy in the safe LNP electorate of the Southern Downs which includes the major towns of Warwick, Stanthorpe and Goondiwindi. He will be attempting to unseat LNP incumbent James Lister who also faces competition from One Nation’s Liz Suduk and Greens candidate David Newport.
A fifth candidate, Melinda Keller from the socially conservative Family First Party, has also joined the race. Asked what the biggest issues facing the Southern Downs were, Keller said there were many but she did “not have the answers to them all”.
“I believe that our community can work through these together,” she said.
Campaigning officially kicked off last week ahead of the 26 October polling day. Social media posts show candidates hitting the campaign hustlings right across their electorate to talk directly with their electors.
Candidates have already told Warwick Stanthorpe Today what they felt were the key issues facing their constituents with cost of living, youth crime, roads, housing and water security dominating the list of concerns amongst Lister and Suduk.
The Greens’ Newport has similarly lamented rising cost of living and housing pressures while also backing the party’s announcement for additional high frequency public bus routes in Warwick.
At a state level, Premier Steven Miles headed straight to north Queensland to tackle the mostly Labor held electorates of Townsville, Mackay and Rockhampton. Miles peddled Labor’s $1.4 billion publicly-owned energy retailer pledge to reporters. He also faced questions by a shopper in Mackay over the condition of the Bruce Highway.
Hitting the campaign trail a day earlier, opposition leader David Crisafulli also made his way north pledging investments into local health and mental health facilities in Rockhampton.
Questioned over his commitment to addressing fears surrounding youth crime, Crisafulli promised to quit within four years if he failed to reduce victim numbers across the state. He made the promise at the first leaders debate on Thursday night where he reaffirmed his party’s commitment to introducing “adult time for adult crime” for youth offenders.
Both leaders clashed over each other’s interpretation of crime statistics before Miles accused the opposition of oversimplifying a complex issue.
“I have more than a slogan,” Miles quipped.
The pair traded blows on a number of key issues including cost of living, economic management, energy and health.
Early voting will open from 14 October ahead of polling day on 26 October.
